A Castle on the Edge of The Hill
by QueenUnderTheM
Summary: In the aftermath of the curse that destroyed Storybrooke and turned all of the fairy tale characters back into nothing more than bedtime stories, the characters return to find things much darker than before they left. In the meantime, native New Yorker, Emma Swan is content to dream of far off worlds, with beautiful queens until they turn into realities. Post season 3 hiatus. SQ.


**HAPPY REGINA MILLS DAY! I couldn't get this out of my mind. And as I have been reading fic's none stop I decided to write something, anything to get me writing again. I have so many idea's floating in my head at the moment, it is almost painful not being able to dedicate time to them to write them down! But I also know it's probably for the best since I always want to give the best to my work and if I tired now I know with where my life is at the moment, busy wise and all, I wouldn't be able to give them my best. So please don't hate me :( Right now as it stands it doesn't look like I'll be finishing Into the Dark. I have most of the next chapter and a few after that written but I can't get myself to publish them because I know I'm not going to continue. I really want to give you the best and I have a few things up my sleeves. So let's just see where they take us!**

**Without further ado, I accept my award for the longest Authors Message ever - no no wait, the story, here it is. Just a one shot possibly of the moment after the curse hit for Regina and life there after. **

**Don't own and as you all know, I never use a BETA so all mistakes are my own (: Thank you _Kamikazi-Queen _for you helpful suggestions!**

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><p><em><strong>A Castle on The Edge of The Hill <strong>_

All she could hear was noise. Noise's and sounds with no voices attached. It was a muttled conglomeration of sound. One shooting out again over another. Then a voice stuck out from the rest. It was one she remembered, but how she wasn't sure. She couldn't place it but she knew she had known its owner. And they had known her. But as soon as it was there it was gone. The warm presence she had felt as it was there dissipated and the harsh cold she was surrounded by crashed over her like waves of ice.

Regina gasped as she came to. The darkness flooded her eyes. She sat in darkness for a moment as they began to adjust from the lightness of the haze she had been standing in moments before. Lights flashed before her as she watched what appeared to be herself, standing in the midst of the storm, turning her back to it to watch as a the taillights of a small vehicle pulled out, just barely escaping the grasp of the fog as it crossed over the line. Then the vision began to fade as her eyes flickered to take in her unfamiliar surroundings.

"Regina!"

She nearly stumbled as the shock overtook her. She was no longer in the lightness of the place she was imagining before. Her feet now were placed no more then an inch away from the edge of a steep cliff overlooking icy waters below. Looking down she lost her balance on a small piece of rock. Feeling her body give way she could no more than shout as she began to descend. The feeling of strong hands gripped her bicep and steadied her, yanking her back from her impending death.

"Regina! Are you alright?!" A voice cooed to her left.

She felt herself being lifted, arms on either side of her now, keeping her upright. She opened her eyes.

"I'm fine," she said, seeing the faces of Snow White and her husband Prince Charming on either side of her, holding her. "I-I just-" she had been turned away from the cliff sometime in the process of being rescued and only now did she see what she had been standing upon the whole time. The inside of her mouth went dry.

There, looming above her was the place she hadn't seen but in her dreams since that day 28 years ago. The grandeur and might she had left it in was long gone. An eerie and dark magic swarmed around it, penetrating the area above her collar bone like it was trying to suffocate her where her skin was exposed.

She felt a small voice come from her throat as she spoke, "I-I'm back."

"We all are." Snow White said to her again, this time realizing that the woman next to her hair was longer then when she had seen her last. And she knew she had seen her no more than a moment ago.

Then it hit her. She was standing where it all ended. Where the curse had been cast that had ripped everyone away from this world and sent them into their eternal purgatory. Where their new lives had begun.

But this wasn't the way in which she had left it. No, now she was standing in the same place. But something was different. She was different. It was no longer the castle of the evil queen. But more aptly the castle on the edge of the hill.

She was back where it all began. She was back - and she remembered.

xXx

Time had passed in a swirl of wind. The leaves on the tree's in New York had changed from green, to orange to yellow to brown. Along the outsides of the streets every here and there a pile would flit, carried by the wind.

Emma Swan walked briskly home to her small apartment in Brooklyn. She had been feeling slightly off all day. Ever since she had woken from her restless sleep. She had left her paperwork work at the NYPD early saying she was ill and needed to go home. She was in desperate need of a nap. She hadn't been sleeping well in fear of another stranger appearing at her door like the man dressed in all black a few mornings prior. Though she had to admit that encounter hadn't ended as bad as she had expected - with a kiss no less, she still felt the urge to sleep with her gun under her pillow.

Making her way up the final step she opened the creaky green door that lead to her apartment. Skipping over the couch where she usually crashed, she made her way to her unmade bed. Today she was in real need of a deep undisturbed sleep.

Without even taking her boots off, the moment she hit the pillows she felt herself go out, drifting into a peaceful and much needed slumber.

In moment's she was back where she had been standing every night since as long as she could remember. It was like she fell asleep out of her world in New York City and into some far off land locked away, only to be visited in her dreams. It was always the same place she landed in, standing on the edge of a dark cliff overlooking crystal waters. She had never been able to move, never been able to run , crouch or even jump for that matter. But something about this visit felt different. Looking down Emma noticed that placed in her right hand was something that looked rather a lot like a sword. She began to lift it, feeling its weight tug on her arm. She began to turn it, watching as the light glinted off of it's tip.

"Emma."

Nearly jumping she turned, if it hadn't been for the utter eerie silence of the place she was sure she wouldn't have heard the soft noise behind her. She turned her eyes catching the figure of someone standing not to far away in the shadow of what appeared to be a large castle. Her breath momentarily gone at the sight of the imminent establishment she forgot about the figure, until it made a sudden move towards her.

She flicked the sword out in front of her to warn the incoming person that she was not to be messed with like she had done it a thousand times.

The person didn't stop however until the light began to hit them. Hundreds of red and yellow rubies glowed as the light of the setting sun hit them. As they stepped closer more and more glittering gems caught the light nearly blinding Emma. It wasn't until she saw the unidentified persons face that her breath left her completely. It wasn't the perfectly round face, nor the full lips as red as blood, or the way the immaculate dress that she wore hugged her body and told anyone who looked upon her that she was royalty and framed her soft olive skin that made her pause. It was her eyes. The soft, unshaken brown that seemed to find Emma's and hold on for dear life as if they had connected so many time's before.

But how could they, she thought as her ability to think came back to her, since she knew this was only a dream and she had definitely never seen anyone like that down the streets of New York. Yet something in her heart told her different and she continued to stare, lowering her weapon as the woman came closer still.

It wasn't until she was breaths away that Emma could see the light glittering in her eyes and the faint scar that hung over her lip.

The woman's hand shot out and Emma didn't deny it as it reached for her cheek. It was warm. She could feel it.

The woman took a shaky breath, as the tear droplets in her eyes began to fall, "Oh, Emma."

Emma stood stock still in awe as the beautiful woman caressed her cheek in a way no other had ever done. Such gentleness and compassion translated with every swipe of her warm finger over her cheek. Feelings of warmth, home and dare she say it- love radiate from her hand right to Emma's core.

"You found me." The woman said through crystal tears.

Emma could feel her heart reeling as she finally found her voice again, "W- Who are you?"

The moment the words escaped her lips she regretted them. Instantly the warmth of the other woman's hand left her face. The woman recoiled back as if burned but all the while in slow motion. Emma instantaneously realized that she had no memory of the woman before her, yet she yearned to know more about her. The woman on the other hand look as if she wanted to rip her own heart out of her chest judging by the look of pain that completely clouded her features.

"I-I'm sorry!" Emma found herself saying as she reached out for the arm of the woman before her to stop her from leaving, "It's just I don't know who you are. I thought this was just a dream."

The woman turned, regarding Emma, but the look of warm that had been in her eyes moments prior was no where to be found. Emma felt her breath catch in her throat waiting for her to speak.

"Yes, that's exactly what this is. Just a dream."

With that Emma felt a tight squeeze on her heart as the light from her third floor apartment window came flooding in.

She rolled over, flipping her tousled hair over her shoulder as she tried to focus her eyes on the clock before her. 3:13. Crap, Henry! She thought as she flung off the sheets covering her. Glad that she had decided not to take of her shoes before her impromptu nap, she grabbed her purse and ran for the door. He had been out of school for the past 40 minutes and it was her day to pick him up. She reached the door, to swing it open just in time to see it opening of its own accord and her son standing behind it in the hallway.

"Henry!" She gasped as she dropped to her knee's in front of her son.

"Hey Mom," the boy said, smiling up as he came in to hug her.

Emma embraced the small boy, speaking into his unruly hair, "You walked all the way here?!"

"Mmmhmm."

She broke the hug, still holding him by his shoulders, "And you're okay?"

"Of course, you raised me remember." He said looking at his mother with a glint in his eye. "I just assumed that they had kept you long at work and that's why you couldn't be there to pick me up."

"Oh Henry," Emma said as she roped her son in for another hug.

"Mom-" the boy said, struggling against the tight hold she had around him "Your hair is in my nose!"

"Oh, sorry kid."

Henry stepped back, grabbing his backpack and making his way into the apartment, "So what's for dinner."

"Uh, how about pizza night?"

"Woohoo!" the young boy shouted as he dropped his bag, "I'll just go wash up and be right back. Make sure to order the pre-done one's this time!"

Emma snickered at her sons remark about the last time the had ordered pizza and she had attempted to cook it herself which nearly ended in burning the whole apartment down.

She set her bag back down on the counter where she had grabbed it in haste and began to shove the discarded items back into their appropriate spots. Nearly done her hands made their way over a small object and stopped. It was a mirror she had had in her purse since as long as she could remember. She couldn't remember how she had received it, since she knew that she would have never been one to buy such a delicately detailed hand mirror, nor could she bring herself to get rid of it. She picked it up to examine it. As she looked closer she could have sworn she saw something flicker in the small glass.

She looked closer, only to see the reflection of her right eye and furrowed brow.

"Hey, you done looking at yourself, it's time for pizza!" came the voice from behind her.

"Yeah," she said, shoving the mirror back into it's pouch inside the purse. "Want to pick a movie?"

Henry nearly jumped for joy at the sound, "Can we watch my favorite?!"

"What one is that kid?" Emma laughed as she knew her son's favorite movie changed just about every time a new Disney film was released.

The boy wrinkled up his nose, "You know which one- my all time favorite..."

"Oh," Emma said the movie instantly hitting her, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Of course, go put it in, it's where you left it from last time."

"In front of the mirror in the living room, got it! Order the pizza!" The boy yelled as he scrambled out of the kitchen where they stood at the base of the stairs to the living room.

"Okay, okay." Emma said as she grabbed for her phone inside her bag. Gripping it she accidentally knocked out the small mirror again.

"What am I going to do with you-" she said to the object as she looked into it again. But before she could finish her whole body froze. There staring back at her was the woman from her dreams. Her eye's where watching her painted on her worry stricken face as she stared at the mirror. Emma gasped, gripping onto the counter as a support.

"It's you-" But before she could look to long, the woman's face disappeared into a puff of green smoke and was replaced by another. Human, Emma wasn't sure but whatever she was she was as green as Emma had ever seen in her life. And then without notice the red haired green woman began to speak through the mirror.

"It is so nice to finally meet you Emma, I must thank you!" The green woman said almost to sickly sweet.

"Who are you?!" Emma said, completely disregarding the utter madness of her talking to a mirror.

"That's for another time dear, for when we get to meet properly, and judging by the looks of things, that won't be to long now! But like I said, I have to thank you Emma."

"For what? How do you know my name?"

The green woman just chuckled. The most sinister chuckle Emma had ever heard.

"Who doesn't? And I must thank you for showing me exactly where you are! New York is it? Well, we shall be meeting quite soon then!" With an evil laugh and a puff of smoke the woman vanished, the mirror returning back to its reflecting self.

"Mom."

Emma looked up from where she was standing holding the small mirror.

"What was that?" Henry said pointing to the offending object.

"Henry, I think we need to leave."

"Wh-" but before he could finish the buzzer went off signaling someone was at the door.

Fear swelled in the pit of Emma's stomach, causing the half digested leftover lasagna there to flip as her heart leaped from her chest to her throat.

She tried to will her voice to speak, to call for her son to come to her but she couldn't. Emma watched in horror as the door to their small apartment burst open with a loud bang revealing the most miscreant figure standing in the hallway. The layers of black cloth swathing them made it impossible to see skin as she waited for the paranormal green to no doubt shine from underneath. Without time to fight, Emma could only watch as the figure made its way into the apartment.

It wasn't until it spoke that she realized there was no green to be found.

"Swan."

Emma looked up not to find the sickly green of a monster but that of weathered and sun battered complexion, with a thicket beard that definitely belonged to a male. If she didn't know any better she would have classified the man before her as a modern day pirate.

"You?!" She gasped.

The man from days prior who had shown up at her door with nothing but her name and a intent to kiss her held out his leather gloved hand.

"I think it's time you come with me."

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><p><strong>Go ahead - Taste the forbidden fruit &amp; leave a review!<strong>


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